'12 Years a Slave' Producer, Oscar Winner Katagas Still Has
'Lax Bug'

Anthony Katagas, the producer of "12 Years a Slave," which won
the Oscar for best picture at the 86th Academy Awards on Sunday
night, is a huge lacrosse fan, a former Division III goalie and is
still playing on the men's club lacrosse circuit.

Katagas, who started for four years in goal at Western New
England and was team captain in 1992, as recently as November
earned an MVP award playing for the LB3 squad that won a men's
masters division championship at the Las Vegas Lacrosse
Showcase.

Katagas has also played in the Vail and Lake Placid summer tournaments (he
was named to the all-tournament team at the Vail masters level last
July) and is the organizer of the Brooklyn Brawl fall club
tournament in New York.

Katagas plans to play in the 35-and-over division with
Jagermeister and 40-and-over division with the Elder Statesmen,
according to friend and LB3 teammate Peter Schaffer, a Denver-based
sports agent who himself played at Franklin & Marshall in the
1980s.

"He's a huge lacrosse fanatic, a great player and an even better
person," Schaffer said of Katagas. "He is a great ambassador of the
game of lacrosse."

Katagas made 484 career saves in four seasons with Western New
England and was an All-Pilgrim league pick as a senior. Then-coach
Joel Castleman told the WNE athletics website that he inserted
Katagas into the lineup as an untested freshman after the original
starter left the team.

"Anthony's energy and skills exploded on the field and he ended
up playing in most of the remaining games that year," Castleman
said. "Anthony continued to play lacrosse for four years and
remains a close friend of mine. He's a very creative guy."

He must really be loving the movies now, though, after taking
the Oscar, a Golden Globe and other major best-picture awards as
producer of "12 Years a Slave." It was the 43-year-old Katagas'
first time nominated for an Oscar. The independent producer formed
Keep Your Head Productions in 1999, and has produced more than 30
films in the last 12 years. On "12 Years a Slave," he collaborated
with Brad Pitt, whose Plan B Entertainment was the film's primary
backer.

For more information on the 2014 World Lacrosse Festivals
and FIL World Championships, visit worldlacrosse2014.com. The team registration deadline
for festivals is May 1.